Australia Things to Do

Inner Sydney City and Suburbs

The size of Greater Sydney Australia covers some 12,145 square kilometres, stretching north to the Nepean River where it meets the ocean, west towards the Blue Mountains and southwards to Camden, Narelland and Campbelltown. The inner city covers the Central Business District (see the CBD map) Pyrmont and Ultimo, Haymarket and Woolloomooloo.

Inner City Suburbs

Chinatown

Chinatown, in the southwest of the city centre, is good for all things Asian, as well as having lots of restaurants and eateries for lunch and dinner:

Circular Quay

Located at the foot of the city and part of Sydney Cove. Here you will find ferries, trains taxis and buses that can take you virtually every other part of the city. Also found here is the Sydney Customs House, a major landmark building for more than a century and a half:

Darling Harbour

Darling Harbour is a major entertainment precinct for the city. Located just west of the CBD, you can reach here by walking, bus, taxi or light rail. Two museums well worth visiting here are the National Maritime Museum and the Powerhouse Museum. Other attractions include Madame Tussauds, Sea Life Sydney Aquarium and the Wild Life Sydney Zoo:

Darlinghurst

During the seventies, eighties and nineties Darlinghurst was very much a gay friendly place, with big dance parties, trendy nightclubs and other venues for entertainment. It declined in later years, but efforts are being made to re-establish its prominence as a place to shop, dine and party. Its Oxford Street is still where the Mardi Gras Parade takes place every year:

Glebe

Sydney Harbour

One of the largest city harbours in the world and certainly one of the most scenic, there is plenty to explore. Islands, parks, beaches, the Northern Beach suburbs, Parramatta, Olympic Park are all accessible from Circular Quay, located at Sydney Cove. Ferries and cruises operate from here as well as Darling Harbour on a regular basis:

Paddington

Paddington was the inner city suburb to live in the Seventies and Eighties and still is, it is just that other suburbs around Sydney have risen to the challenge and also have become expensive and hip to live in. That being said, it is still a nice leafy suburb with beautiful iron lace houses lining the streets as it ever was:

The Rocks

This is where the Colony of NSW first housed its convicts, then became a place where ruffians and hooligans would rob hapless sailors in the late 1800s. Now all cleaned up, it is a restored historical district with excellent restaurants, bars and pubs. You can also visit a number of historical attractions here as well as do some excellent shopping: